Tulip makes headlines in UK following corruption accusations

Several British media outlets yesterday reported on corruption charges brought against British Treasury Economic Secretary Tulip Siddiq by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The ACC accused her and her family members of embezzling billions in a deal for a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh – the Roppur Power Plant Project.

Tulip Siddiq, 42, an anti-corruption official in Britain’s financial markets, allegedly negotiated a deal with Russia in 2013 that overestimated the price of a new nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

The allegation is part of a wider investigation by the ACC into Siddiq’s aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was removed as prime minister of Bangladesh in August.

The allegation sparked a political storm in the UK, with the government defending it and the opposition calling for transparency.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given his full support to Tulip Siddiq, reports The Guardian.

Starmer’s official spokesperson said the Prime Minister had full confidence in Siddiq and confirmed she would continue to deal with anti-corruption issues.

“The minister denied any involvement,” he said. “Obviously, I cannot speak to the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission, nor can I comment on unconfirmed media speculation.”

A source close to Siddiq said these were “fabricated accusations”.

The UK’s Conservatives immediately seized on the allegations, saying it was “the final stain on Keir Starmer’s judgment”, reports the BBC.

Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Matt Vickers said: “The fact that Labor’s anti-corruption minister is implicated in corruption is the latest stain on Keir Starmer’s judgment.

“It’s high time she came clean. The British public deserves a government that focuses on its priorities, not distracted by yet another scandal.”

The submission to Bangladesh’s ACC alleges that Siddiq was “instrumental in managing affairs and coordinating meetings with Russian government officials” to orchestrate the £10 billion power plant project deal electricity company in Roppur and that Hasina and her family members received “30 percent of the embezzled funds”. in exchange for their mediation.

Footage from 2013 appears to show Siddiq attending the signing of the deal by Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, recorded by the Associated Press.

The BBC understands that Siddiq has had no contact with the ACC as part of the investigation.

Syed Faruk, who heads the UK branch of Hasina’s Awami League, said the claims were “fabricated”.

Siddiq was elected MP for Hampstead and Highgate in 2015, the north London constituency neighboring Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s seat of Holborn and St Pancras.

Corruption allegations and convictions against top leaders of deposed governments are not new in Bangladesh.

Hasina’s main predecessor as prime minister, Khaleda Zia, faced similar accusations, which she also dismissed as politically motivated. So did ex-President Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who seized power as head of the army in a bloodless coup in 1982.

The independence of the Bangladeshi judiciary has long been questioned.

Changes in government often result in judicial reshuffles, with ruling parties regularly accused of targeting their political opponents.